141 - Beach Day!

Since my little brother Jacob's visiting from Seattle, we couldn't let the time pass us by without a trip to the Jersey shore. While Seattle has incredible coasts, they don't quite have beaches in the same way the East Coast does. So, bright sun, hot sand, and cool waves were a must.

Josh wasn't able to come along with us because he's busy running a summer camp for middle school kids in our neighborhood, but we managed to stay out of too much trouble. I didn't take my "real" camera along, but I did pack Josh's old point-and-shoot in, and even though it seems to be on its way out (I think it's about 8 years old), I did get some fun shots. (When I wasn't busy swimming in the ocean, that is.)

There was actually a sand sculpting contest the day we were there... there were some pretty incredible ones! I totally love the big monster fish. He's my favorite.

And last but not least, what beach day would be complete without a squinty-faced ocean photo? Ok, well, at least squinty-faced on my part, because apparently Jacob is much better at looking normal and didn't inherit that gene... 

Happy beach day! Go get some fun in the sun while you can... or come to Philly and share some with us. =)

140 - Tales from the Art Museum

I know I already shared my favorite shot of the day, but I figure since I didn't take my camera with me when Jacob and I went to Dorney Park, I can fill you in with a few more shots from our art museum visit.

These aren't the Rocky steps... and while I couldn't convince Jacob to run up the steps (he claimed he did so last year -- details, schmetails), I did force him to stand in front of the Rocky statue. And I took a picture. But I'm not a totally evil big sister, so I'm not posting it. I am posting me taking a photo of him taking a photo. Of a cool sword. So it's ok. 

And speaking of cool, this chess set makes me drool a little bit. Unfortunately, its price tag makes me remember that I probably will want to eat for, oh, the next few months, too.

So instead of playing chess with those sweet game pieces, I guess I'll just have to look at this dude and his horse. Or, the armor for some dude and his horse. I bet his life was far more interesting than a game of chess anyway. Right?

Aaaaand... that's all! The end! Hooray for the Philadelphia Museum of Art!

139 - Shades of Grey

Since Josh has been busy running a camp for middle school kids in the neighborhood, Jacob and I have been keeping ourselves busy hanging in and around Philly.

Yesterday we went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art (yes, the one with the "Rocky Steps"). We found this. And I liked it. A lot.

138 - Lone Tree

Sometimes lonely can be a beautiful thing.

137 - 4th of July

As you might have gathered from reading some of the camping posts, my little brother Jacob has been visiting us in Philly. Even though I should really just refer to him as my "younger" brother, since he's a good 5-6" taller than I am now, he's still 10 years my junior, and I changed his diapers, so he'll always be "little" for me (sorry, Jacob... it's just the truth).

Last year Jacob came out from Seattle to visit us for about a week, and this year he decided to stay a little longer. So, he was an honorary East Coaster for almost 2 weeks, and we made sure to keep him busy. (He also called the day after he got back to "yell" at me -- apparently he got used to our 90-100 degree weather while he was here and returned to Seattle during a week of highs in the mid-60s... oops...)

Since we did most of the "traditional" Philadelphia stuff during his visit last year, like visiting Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Elfreth's Alley, Reading Terminal Market, The Franklin Institute, and made sure we got cheesteaks from Pat's and Geno's,dim sum in Chinatown, and Rita's water ice, this year we focused more on fun "hanging out" kinds of things. Things like camping, and celebrating the 4th of July -- Philly style.

The 4th of July in Philly is a pretty big deal, complete with a week of events to celebrate. This year, after a BBQ at church, we went on down to Benjamin Franklin Parkway for the "Party on the Parkway", which includes a free concert (this year it was The Roots opening for the Goo Goo Dolls) and fireworks over the art museum. It's a pretty fun event, people get pretty excited, and you see some great things. I think this is probably the most awesome wig I've ever seen:

But before the fireworks can start, you have to wait (and wait, and wait, and wait) for it to get dark...

But once the fireworks start (around 11:15pm this year), the wait doesn't seem to matter so much. The first shot has Jacob standing on the right, then another with a fireworks display that makes me think of Jupiter. =)

It's pretty crazy, pretty crowded, and most definitely an adventure, but we all had fun (including the mad dash to the subway to beat the massive crowds afterwards). Hope you also found a great way to celebrate your 4th!

136 - And Other Camping Stories...

When I go camping, I use a lot of this:

I inherited my mother's attracting-insects gene, meaning that my blood sends out radar to every bug within about, oh, 3.2 square miles. And they come. To me. To feast. 

So, even when I use bug spray (and the one indicated above had 25% DEET), they still find me and I will end up with at least 5-10 bites, even when there are other people around me who the bugs don't even bat an eyelash at. 

However, this little guy was interesting, didn't bite me, and so I decided it was ok if he rested on my shoe for a little while:

However, I did have to boot him off eventually so we could head out to the orienteering course at French Creek State Park. But, before we could get started, we found another awesome-looking friend. Seriously, I think this may be the most incredible moth I've ever seen... and in addition to his great colors, he was big -- about 5" across...

Finally, we hit the orienteering course. None of us had ever done an orienteering course before and we definitely had a good time. The point is to make your way to a bunch of different check-in points using a special map. It doesn't have too many clues -- largely you're looking for various geographical features.

At the end of the path we returned back to our starting point... we managed to do what's usually a 2-hour, almost 6-mile course, in about an hour and 10 minutes! Not bad, huh?

And, what better way to end the post, than by letting the sign do the talking? =)  If you haven't gotten some camping action in lately, I highly suggest you do. You never quite know what you'll find. =)

135 - Campfire!

The campfire is pretty much the most important part of camping. Why? Well, in a word: s'mores. (Ok, the other food is important, too... but let's be honest - it really is all about the s'mores.)

 

And while wood looks pretty darn cool in the daylight (especially with my little brother Jacob's sweet setup), it's hard to beat the warm glow of it at night:

And, let's not forget -- some of the best conversations happen during those late nights... especially when an unnoticed observer peeks out from the tent to capture the happenings.

What are some of your campfire memories?

134 - Setting up Camp

It all started with this:

No, your eyes are not deceiving you. That tent is, in fact, as old, and maybe even slightly older, than I am! The best part about it? This is the first time it had been used. Yup. Hadn't even been out of the box!

While my family went camping quite a bit when I was younger, Josh's family... well, they're New Yorkers. They bought the tent... they meant to use it... but... well... um, that's got to count for something, right? Even if 25 years after they bought it, they passed it on to us in its original, unopened condition? =)

Josh and Jacob (my little brother, visiting from Seattle for a couple weeks) worked hard to get things set up... and while I did help with the tent a bit (I couldn't let them have all the fun), I also took a few photos and got the food out. Mmm. Nothing like getting all the snacks you otherwise wouldn't buy...

Then we were done! And we had a tent! And folding chairs from home! Hooray!

And that's the end of Part I... check back for Part II later!

(Oh, and in case you're wondering, we were out at French Creek State Park near Birdsboro, PA, about 1 hour, 15 minutes from our house in Philly.)

133 - Journey to Rivendell

While Josh and I didn't actually get to journey to Rivendell, I'm pretty sure we both felt that we were about as close as we'll ever get. 

And now, some backtracking. 

For those of you who may not (yet) be fans of The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit, Rivendell is one of the Elven cities in Middle Earth. Bilbo describes it as, "a perfect house, whether you like food or sleep or story-telling or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all." 

We found our "Rivendell", surprisingly enough, in the middle of Valley Forge National Historical Park (Washington Memorial Chapel, to be specific). I was seriously just in love with all the arches and angles...

So... your turn. Does this match up to any of your thoughts of what Rivendell might look like? If not, what does it remind you/make you think of?

132 - How Many Can YOU Count?

When we were out at Valley Forge we had a few visitors.

First Mom ventured out...

Then the babies!

But you've gotta watch out for strange people. Hiding in green grass is the best way not to be seen. Duh. 

But really, as long as Mom's around, it's all ok...

And yes, I know deer aren't really "that exciting"... but I really just sort of go crazy for any animal. And seriously, I think Josh thought I might start hyperventilating when we saw this - I made him sit for about 10 minutes just watching. 

Also, I don't have a wide angle lens, so this is only about half the view (and half the final count). But, that said, it was still pretty awesome. Go on, give it a try. Click on the image to make it larger, then see -- how many can YOU count?